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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wake — a trail
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. drill — the tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. drill — a practice
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. game — a match
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rash — hasty
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com